Climate change and variability: perception and adaptation strategies of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists across different zones of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Due to the dependence of its economy on rainfed agriculture and livestock husbandry, Burkina Faso, like other Sahelian countries, is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Adaptation is needed to counteract anticipated drawbacks of climate change on crop and livestock productivity; therefore, we examined climate change perceptions of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists and analysed their adaptation strategies. To this end, focus group discussions were held in six villages distributed across three agro-ecological zones. In three of these sites, 162 farmers were also individually interviewed. Perceptions of farmers were compared to actual trends of different climatic parameters extracted from official long-term meteorological records (1988–2008). Results showed that farmers in Burkina Faso were partly aware of climate change, particularly of changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, but their perception did not match well with the recorded annual rainfall data in the southern Sahelian and Sudanian zones. The most important adaptation strategies mentioned by agro-pastoralists were crop diversification, combination of cropping and livestock operations, use of water harvesting technologies and anti-erosive measures such as half-moons or stone dikes. Strategies of pastoralists included seasonal, annual and permanent migration and taking up of cereal cropping. Logistic regression analysis indicated that agro-ecological zone, cultivated surface, ruminant herd size, household size and education were the most important variables affecting farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies. These factors should be taken into account in the development and implementation of any programme of adaptation to climate change in Burkina Faso.

Keywords

Appendix

Definition of several adaptation practices in cropping and livestock keeping encountered across three agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso

Farming system

Adaptation strategy

Meaning

Cropping

More fertilisation

Increased use of organic fertiliser (manure and/or compost) and mineral fertiliser by farmers for millet, sorghum and maize

Use of improved seeds (of local cereals)

Local sorghum, millet and maize seeds selected and improved by the national agricultural research institute (INERA), which obtain higher grain yields and are adapted to different climatic zones of Burkina Faso

New crop varieties

New varieties of sorghum, millet, rice and maize, as well as of cowpea selected and introduced by agricultural extension services

Zaï technique

Traditional land restoration technology of farmers in Burkina Faso to rehabilitate degraded drylands and to restore soil fertility. Small pits of 20-30 cm diameter and 10-20 cm depth are dug into degraded soils, often hardpans. At the bottom of the pits farmers place about two handfuls of organic material (animal dung or crop residues). Pearl millet or sorghum seeds are planted in these pits as soon as rainfall starts

Half-moon technique

Variant of the zaï technique, larger diameter of the planting hole

Anti-erosive stone dikes

Technique in which larger stones are buried in rows to a depth of about one-third of their height, following contour lines. These small dams reduce the speed of surface water runoff and the loss of topsoil and organic matter

Livestock keeping

Permanent migration

Movement of farmers across a specified boundary (village, region, or even the country) for the purpose of establishing a new and permanent residence where pastoral resources are available for livestock

Transhumance

Seasonal movement of herd and part of the household in search of qualitatively and quantitatively adequate grazing resources

Herd splitting

Separation of the herd in two or three groups (often of defined physiological stage), each one kept in a different location across the country

Herd destocking

Sale of some animals to buy food or to reduce the number of animals per herd, primarily targeting young male cattle and small ruminants, and old and sick animals

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